The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel book cover
Personal finance / psychology

The Psychology of Money

by Morgan Housel

Twenty short stories argue that doing well with money depends less on how smart you are and more on how you behave.

★★★★½ 4.5 / 5

Warm, quick and endlessly quotable, with the best chapters on luck, compounding and enough in personal finance, held back by a lack of step by step advice, anecdote heavy evidence and a US focus. Four and a half out of five.

The Psychology of Money: summary, review, how to apply and books like it

Every guide comes as a video and a full written article. Pick the one you need: the review is spoiler-free, the ending explained is not.

What is The Psychology of Money about?

The Psychology of Money is Morgan Housel’s 2020 book on why behavior matters more than intelligence when it comes to money. It opens with a janitor who left millions and a Harvard educated banker who lost his mansion, then makes its case through twenty short chapters on luck, compounding, saving, room for error, bubbles and more, plus a postscript on the American consumer. It runs to about fifty thousand words.

Below you’ll find a spoiler-free review, a chapter by chapter summary, eleven practical habits and seven books to read next. This is a book channel, not a financial advisor: nothing here is personal financial advice, and the book itself says it cannot tell you what to do with your money.

The Psychology of Money came out in twenty twenty. Morgan Housel is a financial writer who started covering money in two thousand eight, in the middle of the financial crisis. He also explains that he paid his way through college working as a valet at a Los Angeles hotel, which turns out to matter later.

His big claim is simple. Doing well with money has a little to do with intelligence and a lot to do with behavior. He calls that soft skill the psychology of money, and the book is twenty short chapters about it. Reportedly it has sold more than three million copies, though figures vary by source.

Read it if
  • Money feels confusing or stressful
  • You like stories more than spreadsheets
  • You already invest and want to understand your own reactions
Skip it if
  • You want budgets, tax tips or investing instructions
  • You need rigorous studies on every page
  • You want a book that is not centered on the United States

The Psychology of Money review scorecard

Ideas
4.5
Readability
5
Practicality
3.5
Evidence
4
Impact
4.5
Average4.3 / 5

The Psychology of Money: questions people ask

What is The Psychology of Money about?

The Psychology of Money came out in twenty twenty. Morgan Housel is a financial writer who started covering money in two thousand eight, in the middle of the financial crisis. He also explains that he paid his way through college working as a valet at a Los Angeles hotel, which turns out to matter later.

Is The Psychology of Money worth reading?

Warm, quick and endlessly quotable, with the best chapters on luck, compounding and enough in personal finance, held back by a lack of step by step advice, anecdote heavy evidence and a US focus. Four and a half out of five. Read it if: money feels confusing or stressful; you like stories more than spreadsheets; you already invest and want to understand your own reactions. Skip it if: you want budgets, tax tips or investing instructions; you need rigorous studies on every page; you want a book that is not centered on the united states. Review: The Psychology of Money →

Is there a summary of The Psychology of Money?

A chapter by chapter summary of The Psychology of Money by Morgan Housel: luck and risk, enough, compounding, tails, freedom, room for error and fees not fines. A book summary, not financial advice. Summary: The Psychology of Money →

What books are like The Psychology of Money?

The Millionaire Next Door by Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko, The Intelligent Investor by Benjamin Graham, The Little Book of Common Sense Investing by John C. Bogle, The Simple Path to Wealth by J. L. Collins, Fooled by Randomness by Nassim Nicholas Taleb, Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Books like it: The Psychology of Money →

What is The Psychology of Money about?

Morgan Housel argues that doing well with money has a little to do with intelligence and a lot to do with behavior. He makes the case through twenty short chapters on luck and risk, compounding, saving, room for error, bubbles and more.

Who was Ronald Read?

A gas station mechanic and janitor who died in 2014 at age 92. The book says he left more than eight million dollars, built from steady saving and blue chip stocks, with millions going to his stepchildren, a hospital and a library.

How long is The Psychology of Money?

About fifty thousand words: an introduction, twenty short chapters and a postscript on the American consumer. Each chapter makes one point through a story and stands alone, so you can read them in any order.

Is The Psychology of Money financial advice?

No. Housel says he cannot tell you what to do with your money because he does not know you, and our videos are book reviews, not personal financial advice.

Books mentioned in these videos

Same as Ever
Morgan Housel
Same as Ever book · Same as Ever audiobook
The Millionaire Next Door
Thomas J. Stanley and William D. Danko
The Millionaire Next Door book · The Millionaire Next Door audiobook
The Intelligent Investor
Benjamin Graham
The Intelligent Investor book · The Intelligent Investor audiobook
Fooled by Randomness
Nassim Nicholas Taleb
Fooled by Randomness book · Fooled by Randomness audiobook
Thinking, Fast and Slow
Daniel Kahneman
Thinking, Fast and Slow book · Thinking, Fast and Slow audiobook

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